HB 713- Reducing Street Homelessness Act of 2021

Partners for HOME, a 501(c)3 organization, operates and administers the Atlanta Continuum-of-Care (CoC), a local collaborative that coordinates housing, services and funding for homeless families and individuals. 

The Georgia Supportive Housing Association (GSHA) is a 501(c)(3) statewide association that advances the creation and preservation of quality supportive housing and provides advocacy, education, technical assistance, and other services.

Partners for HOME and GSHA welcome ongoing discussions with local, state and national groups who wish to reduce street camping and homelessness and generate new options and new funding streams for communities statewide, and provide the following information:

Homeless camps divert funds from efforts with known impact to end homelessness:

HB 713, while seeking to add an option for Georgia communities, makes mandatory, broad stroke changes that may detract from homelessness services, supportive housing providers, and those housed in supportive housing. It diverts vital funds from multiple state funding sources and will potentially reduce federal matching funds. These funds are used to pay for shelter, outreach and rapid rehousing across the state and without these critical funds, current efforts will be reduced or ended.

HB 713 would create state sanctioned homeless camps that are expensive, difficult to maintain, and difficult to close once they are opened, despite being envisioned as “temporary” solutions.

HB 713 poses great financial harm to vulnerable Georgians and the already too few resources necessary for Georgia providers to serve homeless people: 

HB 713 may risk the loss of over $20 million annually from HUD in Continuum of Care awards, the loss of $5 million in Emergency Solutions Grant annual awards, and the loss of HOPWA funds for persons with HIV or AIDS.

HB 713 does not provide new funds for the expenses of electrical installation or electrical bills, water installation and water bills, provision of showers and toilets, policing, lighting, management, leadership, organizational structure, social services, trash services, food services, land acquisition, camping equipment, cooking equipment, toiletry necessities, social services, case management, etc.

HB 713 does not bring new or innovative concepts to the table. People staying within a sanctioned camp are still homeless and subject to the elements, thus still facing the same rate of mortality – 17 years less than their housed counterparts. Homeless camps are notable breeding grounds for infectious disease spread which can easily spread to mainstream communities.

HB 713 creates arbitrary caps on spending for creation and maintenance of short-term housing, without analyzing the need for development across Georgia, conducting a cost analysis of needed expenditures, or evaluating differences in cost depending on the community being served.

HB 713 requires municipalities to pull funds from criminal justice grants to fund the enforcement of laws that criminalize homelessness and to create and fund homeless outreach teams that mirror existing PATH (Projects for Assistance in Transition) and ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) teams.

HB 713 conditions the receipt of funds on the enforcement of laws banning street camping or sleeping in public that are constitutionally suspect. The courts have held that criminally punishing people experiencing homelessness for sleeping outside on public property is unconstitutional if there are no available alternatives. E.g., Martin v. Boise 920 F.3d 584 (9th Cir. 2019).

Evidenced based solutions are proven remedies that are more likely to be successful:

HB 713 diverts funds away from efforts we believe have a greater impact on ending people’s homelessness. Non-congregate shelter in hotels has enabled the closure of 8 encampments in Atlanta since November 2020 and sheltered 256 individuals. Partners for HOME has permanently created 450 homes in the last three months.

HB 713 fails to recognize and acknowledge existing shelter and transitional housing, which is underutilized with vacancies nightly across the metro Atlanta area due to high barriers. Targeted and focused attention on lowering those barriers is a new priority for the City of Atlanta and can potentially achieve the results intended by HB 713 without expending new state or local resources or losing federal funds.

HB 713 will not improve the homeless problem in Georgia for the many individuals sleeping outside who resist traditional shelter due to high barriers, rules and restrictions. The proposed homeless camps are highly restricted and will be avoided by many individuals HB 713 seeks to intern.

In conclusion, creating homeless camps may make it look and feel like the community is taking action to end homelessness on the surface—but, by themselves, they have little impact on reducing homelessness. Ultimately, access to stable housing that people can afford, with the right level of services to help them succeed, is what ends homelessness.1 

1https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Caution_Sanctioned_Encampments_Safe_Zones_052318.pdf

New efforts should support scaling the evidence-based solutions that we know work, and by engaging in discourse with providers across the state and national and state experts using evidence-based and data-based practices, to learn about the challenges to developing and sustaining quality supportive housing and services.

For More Information Contact

Mariel Risner Sivley, Esq.

Executive Director, Georgia Supportive Housing Association (GSHA)

mariel@supportivehousingassociation.com 

404.713.5970

Cathryn Marchman, LCSW, Esq.

Chief Executive Officer, Partners for HOME

cmarchman@partnersforhome.org